A vehicle air bag module typically includes an air bag and an inflator disposed within a container. The container comprises a reaction device (e.g., a reaction can or a reaction plate) and a cover coupled to the reaction device to complete an enclosure for the inflator and the air bag. The module is assembled by coupling the air bag and inflator to the reaction device, and then coupling the cover to the reaction device. The module is installed in a vehicle by coupling the reaction device to a structural part of the vehicle, e.g., the steering column.
At the onset of a vehicle collision, the inflator rapidly generates an inert, non-toxic gas, and directs that gas into the air bag. The gas forces the air bag through the cover and inflates the air bag. During inflation of the air bag, the inflator and the air bag apply significant forces to the reaction device. Those forces are, in turn, taken up and transmitted to the vehicle by (i) the reaction device, (ii) the structure which couples the inflator and the air bag to the reaction device, and (iii) the structure which couples the reaction device to the vehicle.
An old and well known technique for installing an air bag module in a vehicle is to bolt or rivet the air bag module to a structural portion of a vehicle. Specifically, a plurality of bolts or rivets are used to attach the reaction device of the module to a structural part of the vehicle. U. S. Pat. Nos. 4,000,010, 4,097,064 and 4,810,005 disclose various examples of air bag modules adapted to be bolted or riveted to a structural part of a vehicle. In order to bolt or rivet the module to a vehicle, bolt or rivet holes or other structure on the module must first be aligned with the bolt or rivet holes or other structure on the part of the vehicle to which the module is being attached. The module is then attached to the vehicle by sequentially installing the bolts or the rivets.